THE 


Lty>  . 

A, _ - 


/ 


PARENT’S 

PART 


ISSUED  BY  THE 

New  Jersey  State  Department  of  Health 

BUREAU  OF  VENEREAL  DISEASE  CONTROL 

TRENTON,  NEW  JERSEY 


THE  KIND  OF  PREPARATION  FOR  MARRIAGE 
GIVEN  RY  THE  PARENTS  OF  THE 
PAST  GENERATION 


THE  PARENT’S  PART 


You  were  shocked  to  hear  that  the  number  of  deaths  resulting 
from  the  influenza  epidemic  in  1918  was  greater  than  the  total  losses 
among  the  American  troops  during  the  war.  Is  it  any  less  a  shock 
to  know  that  the  Army  lost  more  days  of  service  on  account  of 
venereal  disease  than  from  any  other  disease?  One  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  thousand  such  cases  were  reported  in  the  Army  camps 
during  the  15  months  ending  November,  1918.  This  meant  a  loss 
of  approximately  two  and  one-half  million  training  days.  Is  it 
any  wonder  that  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army  stated  that  if  it 
were  possible  to  rid  his  men  either  of  all  wounds  or  of  all  venereal 
diseases  he  would  rather  rid  them  of  the  venereal  cases? 

But  venereal  disease  is  not,  primarily,  a  military  problem  or  a 
war-time  epidemic.  Estimates  show  that  one  man  contracted  the 
disease  after  entering  the  service  to  every  five  before  entering  it. 
This  means  that  the  source  of  disease  is  in  civilian  communities — 
your  communities.  The  draft,  with  its  examination  of  the  nation’s 
men,  resulted  in  digging  underneath  the  sod  of  every-day  life  and 
showing  that  out  of  sight  in  your  town,  in  your  state,  there  is  going 
on  yearly  an  untold  waste  of  manhood,  womanhood,  and  childhood 
by  the  ravages  of  these  diseases. 

Being  highly  contagious,  they  have  entered  homes  and  marriage 
relations.  Women  and  children,  not  knowing  the  cause,  have  suf¬ 
fered  from  them  for  generations.  Innocent  young  wives,  previously 
healthy,  have  been  mutilated  by  necessary  surgical  operations,  some 
have  been  made  invalids,  many  have  remained  childless,  and  others 
have  lost  life  itself.  Babies  have  been  born  dead  or  defective;  others 
have  become  blind  a  few  hours  after  birth. 

This  is  in  addition  to  the  thousands  of  men  who,  thinking  they 
were  cured  by  patent  remedies,  have  been  visited  years  later  by 
sterility,  paralysis,  and  insanity. 

PREVENTABLE  DISEASES 

Nor  is  this  terrible  waste  of  health  and  life  inevitable.  Syphilis 
and  gonorrhea  must  be  classed  as  preventable  contagious  diseases. 
We  know  and  can  identify  through  the  microscope  the  germs  which 
cause  them.  We  know  and  can  locate  many  of  the  personal  carriers. 
Exposure  to  them  can  be  practically  minimized  to  the  vanishing 

3 


Comparative  prevalence  of  Venereal  Diseases  and  other  important 
communicable  diseases  in  the  U.  S.  Army. 


Venereal  Diseases 


102.3 


Other  Communicable  Diseases 


29.4 


Pneumonia,  scarlet  fever,  typhoid  The  figures  above  represent  the  annual  rate 
and  paratyphoid.  (Measles  not  in-  per  1,000  for  all  troops  In  the  United  States 
eluded.)  based  on  the  reports  from  September  21,  1917, 

to  May  31,  1918.  These  figures  are  accurate 
for  purposes  of  comparison  only.  Prepared 
from  reports  to  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army. 


Comparison  of  the  number  of  cases  of  Venereal  Disease  contracted 
before  and  after  enlistment. 


Before  enlistment 


After  enlistment 


1 


The  number  of  cases  before  en¬ 
listment  includes  all  uncured  cases, 
old  and  new,  as  compared  with  the 
new  cases  contracted  after  enlist¬ 
ment.  The  great  contrast,  however, 
is  mainly  due  to  the  better  protec¬ 
tion  given  to  soldiers  than  is  given 
most  men  and  boys  in  civil  life. 


The  above  estimate  Is  based  on  reports  from 
Camps  Sherman,  Lee,  Upton,  Meade,  Custer, 
Kearney,  and  the  Western  Department  from 
October  25,  1917,  to  May  10,  1918.  (See  Ve¬ 
nereal  Disease  Control  in  the  Army.  W.  F.  Snow, 
M.  D.,  and  W.  A.  Sawyer,  M.  D.,  Majors,  M.  R. 
C.,  U.  S.  Army.  Journal  American  Medical 
Ass’n,  August  10,  1918,  p.  456.) 


point  if  we  eliminate  the  entirely  unnecessary  and  harmful  contacts 
of  irregular  sexual  intercourse.  After  the  success  of  the  army 
camps  in  prevention  by  suppression  of  prostitution,  education, 
recreation  and  early  treatment,  we  have  an  exact  method  of  attack 
upon  them. 

Public  health  authorities  throughout  the  country  are  now  organ¬ 
izing  to  carry  on  the  fight  against  this  health  menace.  Practically 
all  of  the  methods  found  successful  in  the  army  will  be  utilized.  A 
far-reaching  and  important  part  of  the  program,  however,  will  be 
prevention  by  education. 

SHALL  YOU  TEACH  YOUR  CHILD? 

Medical  officers  found  that  the  men  in  the  army  camps  revealed 
a  surprising  ignorance  and  misinformation  on  the  whole  subject  of 
sex  and  sex  diseases.  Thousands  had  acted  on  the  mistaken  belief 
that  sex  relations  are  necessary  to  health,  only  to  find  their  health 
impaired  by  a  serious  venereal  infection.  Large  numbers  thought 
that  gonorrhea,  especially  disastrous  in  its  effect  upon  innocent 
women,  is  “no  worse  than  a  bad  cold.”  A  list  of  the  superstitions 
and  untruths  that  these  men  believed  forms  a  terrible  indictment 
against  the  instruction  offered  in  our  homes.  And  the  diseases  that 
these  men  brought  into  the  army  to  handicap  their  usefulness  in 
war  were,  according  to  their  own  admissions,  largely  the  products 
of  the  attempt  to  keep  children  in  a  blessed  state  of  ignorance  and 
innocence  regarding  sex. 


4 


Much  was  done  in  the  army  to  correct  the  mistaken  ideas  of 
these  men.  But  to  be  most  effective  this  information  must  begin 
much  earlier.  The  most  important  preventive  against  later  vice  and 
venereal  disease  is  the  proper  education  of  the  children  with  regard 
to  sex.  Your  part  as  parents  in  this  campaign,  then,  is  to  instruct 
your  own  boy  and  girl.  You  can  not  exempt  yourself  from  this 
responsibility. 

Do  you  think  that  while  the  neighbor's  children  may  need  some 
such  information ,  your  own  children  will  never  have  any  such  need? 
It  is  no  longer  possible  for  you  to  choose  whether  your  child  will 
learn  about  sex  or  not.  The  only  question  you  have  to  decide  is 
whether  he  or  she  will  learn  from  you  or  from  someone  else.  If 
there  ever  was  any  justification  for  the  hope  that  a  boy  or  girl  could 
grow  up  entirely  innocent  of  all  knowledge  of  sex  matters,  that  hope 
is  forever  gone.  For  better  or  for  worse,  the  prudery  and  the  silence 
connected  with  love,  passion,  temptation,  marriage,  and  vice  are 
being  replaced  by  an  abundance  of  discussion  and  interpretation  in 
literature,  drama,  especially  in  the  “movies.”  From  these  sources — 
or  from  the  much  worse  and  unreliable  gossip  of  companions,  adver¬ 
tisements  of  quack  doctors  and  patent  medicines — your  boy  and 
girl  will  receive  their  sex  information  unless  you  yourself  offer  them 
something  better  and  truer. 

You  would,  furthermore,  by  your  very  silence  and  evasion  of 
the  subject  be  giving  the  wrong  kind  of  sex  education.  You 
would  be  indicating  unmistakably  to  your  child  that  sex  is  some¬ 
thing  nasty  or  vulgar  and  not  to  be  discussed  with  you.  You  are 
cutting  off  his  confidence  on  this  most  important  problem  and 
condemning  him  to  secret  and  unreliable  channels. 

It  is  not  natural  for  your  children  to  be  uninterested  in  the  vivid 
drama  of  the  renewal  of  life  they  see  about  them.  Only  an  abnor¬ 
mally  dull  child  fails  to  be  curious  about  such  things.  If  your  child 
remains  silent  about  these  matters  or  fails  to  ask  any  questions,  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  it  is  getting  information  from  other  people. 
If  you  have  refused  to  answer  your  child’s  natural  questions  about 
these  matters,  you  can  be  assured  that  these  same  questions  are 
asked  and  answered  from  sources  of  which  you  would  be  ashamed. 

EVIDENCE  OF  THE  NEED  OF  INFORMATION 

Do  you  think  that  only  the  children  with  abnormal  surroundings 
— the  children  that  are  seen  in  juvenile  courts,  jails  and  detention 
homes — are  in  need  of  sex  instruction?  Testimony  taken  from  men 
coming  from  homes  above  the  average  and  selected  by  our  educa¬ 
tional  system  as  intelligent  enough  for  a  college  education,  show  the 


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same  need  convincingly.  An  inquiry  was  made  among  approxi¬ 
mately  1,000  such  college  men  in  representative  institutions  of  the 
East,  Middle  West,  and  West.  The  replies  were  manifestly  sincere. 
While  students  may  be  no  better  morally  than  men  outside  college, 
they  are  not  below  the  average.  Furthermore,  there  is  evidence  to 
show  that  the  replies  understate  rather  than  overstate  the  preva¬ 
lence  of  sexual  practices.  In  other  words,  conditions  are  probably 
as  bad  as,  if  not  worse  than,  the  conditions  indicated  by  their  state¬ 
ments.  The  conclusions  from  this  study  are  as  follows: 

(1)  A  large  majority  of  boys  get  their  first  permanent  impres¬ 
sions  about  sex  from  improper  sources  before  the  age  of  twelve. 
The  average  age  is  nine  and  one-half  years.  Many  testify  to  the 
unfortunate  effect  of  these  early  impressions  received  from  older 
boys  and  undesirable  sources.  One  man  writes:  "The  effect  was 
decidedly  bad.  It  gave  me  a  sense  of  bewilderment  and  a  wrong 
idea  of  the  workings  of  nature.”  Another  says:  "The  effect  was 
decidedly  harmful.  What  I  learned  was  so  different  from  my  ideas 
of  human  reproduction  that  I  had  formed  from  the  myths  told  me 
by  my  parents  that  I  lost  my  respect  for  them.”  Many  of  these  men 
expressed  bitterness  against  their  parents  for  having  failed  to  give  them 
clean ,  helpful  information . 

(2)  The  ideas  received  from  improper  sources  have  often  led 
to  some  form  of  sexual  practice,  most  often  between  the  ages  of 
twelve  and  fifteen  years. 

(3)  Instruction  in  the  past,  when  given  at  all,  generally  has  been 
about  four  to  six  years  too  late.  When  it  has  been  given  by  parent 
or  teacher  it  has  been  helpful,  even  though  crude  and  meager.  One 
young  man  writes:  "It  served  as  a  starting  point  to  keep  me  in  the 
right  direction.”  Another  says:  "It  had  a  good  influence.  Instead 
of  picking  up  distorted  knowledge,  I  got  the  facts  from  someone  I 
could  believe.”  And  another:  "It  gave  me  a  deep  sense  of  responsi¬ 
bility  for  the  protection  of  womankind.” 

Although  no  such  extensive  study  has  been  made  regarding  the 
influence  on  young  girls  of  miseducation,  such  information  as  has 
been  gathered  shows  that  more  harm  results  through  ignorance  than 
most  fathers  and  mothers  would  be  willing  to  believe.  There  is  evi¬ 
dence  that  if  the  girl  grows  up  and  leaves  a  well-protected  home  in 
complete  ignorance  of  the  normal  facts  of  sex  life — of  sexual  rela¬ 
tions,  prostitution  and  venereal  diseases — she  is  more  in  danger  of 
serious  shock  upon  learning  these  facts  than  if  they  were  presented 
gradually  and  naturally  in  the  confidences  between  mother  and 
daughter. 

Public  health  officers,  who  are  constantly  coming  into  touch  with 


the  victims  of  vice  and  disease,  substantiate  this  testimony  as  to  the 
imperative  need  for  sex  instruction  of  boys  and  girls.  Some  of  the 
cases  coming  into  their  venereal  clinics  are  mere  children  whose  acts 
in  contracting  the  disease  can  be  ascribed  only  to  their  pitiable 
ignorance — for  which  their  elders,  not  they,  are  responsible. 

YOUR  RESPONSIBILITY 

Sex  education  includes  the  study  of  the  whole  process  of  repro¬ 
duction  and  the  nurture  of  children,  the  meaning  of  marriage,  prosti¬ 
tution,  venereal  diseases,  illegitimacy,  and  the  hygiene  of  sound 
recreation.  These  can  not  be  taught  at  any  one  time  or  place.  The 
cooperation  of  the  homes,  the  churches,  the  schools,  the  press,  clubs, 
and  societies  in  your  community  is  necessary. 

But  you  as  parent  must  always  be  the  most  important  and 
effective  adviser  of  your  children  in  sex  matters.  Your  home  is 
the  natural  place  for  satisfying  their  early  curiosity,  directing  their 
adolescent  energy  and  building  up  habits  of  self-control.  Indeed, 
all  that  other  agencies  can  do  to  give  your  children  accurate  knowl¬ 
edge  and  a  wholesome  point  of  view  will  be  nullified  if  you  fail  to 
do  your  part. 

YOUR  PREPARATION 

The  first  and  principal  requirement  of  you  as  parent  in  teaching 
your  children  the  facts  of  sex  is  that  you  be  truthful.  The  principal 
defect  of  mothers  and  fathers  in  the  past  has  been  that  they  have  not 
told  the  plain  truth,  that  they  have  practiced  deceit  of  one  kind  or 
another  and  lost  forever  the  confidence  of  their  children.  To  keep 
the  line  of  communication  open  between  you  and  your  children 
through  all  their  youthful  struggles  is  the  best  guarantee  that  they 
will  be  properly  informed.  But  you  destroy  this  easy  approach  if 
you  fail  to  be  honest  with  them  when  they  come  to  you. 

In  the  second  place  it  is  necessary  that  you  have  the  right  atti¬ 
tude  yourself  on  the  subject  of  the  relation  of  the  sexes.  If  you  think 
of  sex  as  something  vulgar  and  nasty  you  will  be  very  likely  to  pass 
on  this  dangerous  viewpoint  to  torment  another  generation.  From 
the  very  first  the  child  should  be  made  to  feel  the  sacredness  of 
parenthood.  He  will  naturally  think  of  it  in  this  way  if  you  do  not 
interpose  a  foolish  embarrassment  or  taboo.  To  know  about  sex 
truly  is  to  realize  that  it  is  intimately  connected  with  the  mental, 
physical,  and  moral  welfare  of  the  individual  and  the  race,  and  that 
it  is  a  subject  full  of  purity,  nobleness,  and  health.  Do  not  pass  on 
to  your  daughter  the  prudery  and  repressed  feelings  which  will 
result  in  needless  worry  and  misunderstanding  for  her  years  later 


8 


when  she  marries.  This  frankness  in  the  home  will  not  prevent 
you  from  teaching  your  child  that  it  is  perfectly  proper  to  discuss 
with  you  many  things  about  which  it  is  improper  to  speak  to 
others. 

In  the  third  place  it  may  be  necessary  to  prepare  yourself  by 
reading  some  reliable  book  or  pamphlets  on  the  subject.  Do  not 
underestimate  your  own  ability,  however.  The  average  adult  knows 
enough  facts  to  satisfy  the  child’s  curiosity  in  every  essential  way. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  know  the  facts  of  biology  as  an  expert  or  to 
have  a  medical  knovdedge  of  venereal  diseases.  The  simple  truths 
you  know'  are  vffiat  the  child  needs.  Do  not  mystify  the  child  by 
using  wrords  he  can  not  understand.  Plain,  simple  language  should 
be  used  here  as  in  everything  else  you  explain  to  him.  The  mystery 
of  the  process  of  the  renew'al  of  life  itself  is  sufficient  to  give  the 
subject  dignity  without  additional  use  of  allegorical  words.  Some 
books  on  this  subject  are  not  reliable  and  parents  should  be  careful 
about  the  ones  they  choose.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
pamphlets  now  being  issued  by  the  state  boards  of  health  are  more 
satisfactory  than  most  books.  Many  of  the  best  libraries,  however, 
are  now  issuing  circulars  giving  the  titles  of  the  most  reliable  books 
on  the  sex  problem. 

INSTRUCTION  OF  THE  CHILD  BEFORE  PUBERTY 

Your  task  in  the  instruction  of  the  child  before  he  reaches  the 
age  of  puberty  is  a  comparatively  simple  but  very  important  one. 
Puberty  is  the  period  w'hen  bodily  sexual  development  is  especially 
noticeable.  It  begins  wnth  girls  at  about  eleven  to  thirteen  years  of 
age,  and  in  boys  at  about  thirteen  to  fifteen  years.  Before  this  time 
your  chief  problem  is  answering  questions. 

As  early  as  six  or  seven  the  child  seems  transformed  into  a 
human  question  mark.  Here  is  the  beginning  of  sex  education.  Plis 
curiosity  at  this  period  about  the  origin  of  life  is  nothing  special  or 
morbid.  It  is  a  part  of  his  general  curiosity  about  all  things  that 
move  and  change  and  grow.  Leaving  his  question  unanswered  does 
not  satisfy  his  curiosity.  Answering  the  question  does  satisfy  that 
curiosity — at  least  for  the  time  being.  Granted  that  the  less  children 
think  about  sex  the  better,  the  essential  fact  to  be  borne  in  mind 
is  that  curiosity  and  interest  are  aroused  by  those  things  that  the 
child  does  not  know  about,  not  those  that  he  knows  about. 

All  the  questions  wrill  not  be  asked  at  once  nor  should  all  possible 
questions  be  answered  at  once.  Neither  is  it  likely  that  the  child 
wall  absorb  all  the  information  at  one  time.  It  is  often  the  experience 
of  parents  that  children  ask  about  some  of  the  essential  facts  a 


o 


number  of  times  before  they  remember  them.  These  questions  are 
a  sign  of  healthy  attitude. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  postpone  an  answer  to  a  question  about 
which  you  need  more  information,  but  if  this  is  done  in  the  same 
frank  way  you  would  postpone  any  other  subject,  you  will  not  lose 
your  child’s  confidence. 

If  a  child  asks  no  questions  at  all,  because  he  has  the  idea  that 
it  is  in  some  way  improper  to  mention  such  matters,  or  has  had  his 
curiosity  satisfied  from  other  sources,  you  should  make  an  opening 
for  the  discussion  of  the  necessary  aspects  of  the  subject.  Every 
bit  of  information  about  the  normal  side  of  sex  that  is  given  your 
child  during  this  period  before  puberty  is  so  much  gain.  Later, 
during  adolescence,  when  your  boy  or  girl  is  undergoing  new  per¬ 
sonal  experiences  and  acquiring  new  sensitiveness,  it  is  much  harder 
to  give  this  information. 

You  may  have  the  problem  of  giving  correct  sex  information 
after  you  have  already  deceived  your  children  with  the  fable  about 
the  stork,  or  turned  them  away  without  satisfying  their  innocent 
inquiries.  Your  only  possible  course  in  such  case  is  to  inform  the 
child  that  the  stork  story  is  a  fable  similar  to  many  other  childhood 
myths  which  one  believes  for  a  while  and  then  is  disillusioned. 
After  that,  proceed  to  establish  confidence  by  telling  the  truth. 

During  the  years  before  puberty,  when  the  opportunities  offer, 
you  should  warn  your  boy  and  girl  against  handling  the  sex  organs 
except  for  the  purpose  of  cleansing  them.  In  the  case  of  your  boy 
you  should  see  that  the  sex  organ  is  kept  free  from  irritating  sub¬ 
stances  beneath  the  foreskin.  Circumcision  may  be  necessary  to 
decrease  the  irritation  and  assist  him  in  keeping  clean. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  an  accurate  schedule  of  just  what  all 
children  should  know  at  certain  ages.  The  environment  of  both 
boys  and  girls  varies  so  widely  that  no  general  rule  applies.  The 
safest  guide  to  the  time  of  giving  sex  information  before  puberty  is 
your  children’s  questions  themselves. 

QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 

Certain  questions  arise  in  the  minds  of  nearly  all  boys  and  girls 
in  some  form  or  other  before  the  age  of  adolescence.  These  ques¬ 
tions  may  come  at  intervals  of  weeks,  months,  or  even  years.  Sam¬ 
ples  of  such  questions  and  satisfactory  answers  are  given  here. 

i.  “ Where  did  the  baby  come  from?"  or  “  Where  did  the  puppies 

come  from?" 

“Babies  grow  inside  their  mothers’  bodies,  just  as  little  birds 


1! 


in  a  nest.  The  birds  hatch  from  the  eggs,  and  when  their  wings 
grow  they  leave  the  nest.  After  the  baby  has  growm  for  many 
weeks  in  the  mother’s  body  it  comes  out  of  the  body  and  we  say 
it  is  born.” 

2.  “ How  is  the  baby  born ?” 

“All  girls  and  women  have  a  passageway  in  their  bodies 
which  enlarges  enough  to  let  the  baby  come  out  when  it  is  strong 
enough.  This  passageway  opens  at  the  lowrer  part  of  the  body. 
We  should  never  touch  that  part  of  the  body  except  to  keep  it 
clean,  or  we  might  harm  it.”  (This  question  offers  a  starting 
point  to  warn  girls  against  masturbation  or  self-abuse.  Boys 
should  have  the  question  answered  satisfactorily,  but  the  warn¬ 
ing  against  self-abuse  might  better  be  related  to  the  explana¬ 
tion  of  the  male  sex  glands  and  the  value  of  their  secretions 
in  promoting  vigor.  This  explanation  is  given  simply  and 
clearly  in  pamphlets  for  boys  published  by  state  boards  of 
health. 

5.  “Does  it  hurt  to  have  the  baby  born ?  Why  does  the  doctor 
come  when  the  baby  is  born?" 

“Yes;  it  hurts  the  mother,  but  she  is  so  happy  to  have  a  baby 
all  her  own  that  she  forgets  the  pain  soon.  The  doctor  comes 
to  take  care  that  the  baby  is  born  safely.”  (Do  not  emphasize 
the  suffering  of  childbirth  in  talking  to  a  child.) 

4.  “Can  I  tell  Jack  how  a  baby  is  born?  He  told  me  the  doctor 
brings  the  baby  in  a  satchel .” 

“No;  some  parents  don’t  tell  their  children  anything  about 
this,  and  they  don’t  want  anyone  else  to  tell  them.  Never  talk 
to  anyone  about  these  things  without  asking  me.”  (This  advice 
may  be  futile.  But  it  is  far  better  for  the  truths  to  be  spread 
among  children  than  the  untruths  so  usually  communicated.) 

5.  “What  does  it  mean  to  be  half  Shepherd  and  half  St. 
Bernard ?" 

“The  dog  is  half  Shepherd  and  half  St.  Bernard  because  one 
of  his  parents  was  a  Shepherd  dog  and  the  other  wras  a  St. 
Bernard.  Ail  little  dogs  must  have  a  father  and  mother.  Birds 
have  a  father  and  a  mother,  too,  just  as  babies  must  have  a 
father  and  mother.” 

(This  explanation  may  often  satisfy  a  child  completely.  He 
may,  however,  ask  more  about  the  father  part  in  reproduction. 
Although  this  is  the  most  delicate  subject  of  all  to  treat  frankly, 
it  is  necessary  to  be  sufficiently  definite  to  allay  curiosity,  and 


12 


it  is  the  great  opportunity  to  arouse  in  the  boy  and  girl  a 
fundamental  respect  for  reproduction  and  to  fortify  them  against 
vulgar  talk  and  improper  use  of  the  sex  organs.  The  explana¬ 
tion  may  be  continued,  illustrating  with  plants  and  animals, 
somewhat  as  follows): 

“The  seed  is  inside  the  mother  flower,  but  it  doesn’t  grow 
into  a  new  flower  until  the  pollen  dust  has  mixed  with  it.  Every 
life  begins  with  the  mixing  of  the  seeds.  Every  grown-up 
animal  and  every  grown-up  man  and  woman  have  tiny  bits  of 
life  or  seeds  inside  their  bodies  which  have  to  come  together 
before  new  life  can  start.  A  part  of  their  bodies  is  fitted  by 
nature  for  this  purpose.  Sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  a  fish, 
the  seeds  come  together  in  the  outside  water.  But  in  dogs  and 
birds  and  people,  they  mix  in  the  mothers’  bodies,  where  they 
can  be  much  better  taken  care  of.” 

ADOLESCENCE 

As  your  child  approaches  adolescence,  which  begins  at  the  time 
of  puberty,  questions  become  less  frequent.  If  confidence  has  been 
firmly  established  it  is  likely  that  much  valuable  information  will 
have  been  imparted  by  answering  questions  in  a  simple,  natural  way. 
But  it  will  probably  be  necessary  for  you  to  give  information  volun¬ 
tarily  about  the  important  sex  changes  taking  place. 

Your  boy  and  girl  should  understand  that  the  new  sensations 
and  impulses  that  come  to  them  at  this  time  are  indications  that 
their  bodies  are  being  prepared  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  motherhood  and  fatherhood. 

Your  boy  should  understand  that  seminal  emissions  at  night 
generally  begin  at  about  fifteen  or  sixteen,  that  they  are  normal  and 
that  no  attention  need  be  paid  to  them  unless  the  occurrence  is 
oftener  than  two  or  three  times  a  month.  He  should  also  under¬ 
stand  that  the  external  sex  glands  manufacture  a  secretion  which  is 
absorbed  by  the  blood,  thus  contributing  greatly  to  the  vigor  of 
manhood.  Boys  should  not  be  frightened  by  exaggerated  statements 
regarding  the  effect  of  self-abuse,  but  they  should  understand  that 
such  a  habit  interferes  with  the  development  of  the  manly  qualities 
they  are  all  ambitious  to  possess.  The  prevalent  idea  that  it  is 
healthy  to  exercise  the  sex  organs  should  be  corrected.  The  common 
sense  and  idealism  of  a  life  of  continence  before  marriage  can  be 
emphasized  at  this  time. 

It  is  highly  important  that  girls,  before  their  bodies  show  signs 
of  change,  should  be  told  about  menstruation.  Make  your  daughter 
understand  that  this  is  a  normal  function;  that  she  will  have  no 


13 


pain  and  practically  no  discomfort  if  her  body  is  healthy,  her  muscles 
firm  and  well  developed,  her  blood  and  digestion  as  they  should  be. 
During  early  adolescence,  if  it  has  not  been  done  before,  explain  to 
her  the  reproductive  system  and  the  method  of  reproduction.  It  is 
in  such  explanations  that  the  girl  learns  once  and  for  all  the  danger 
of  illegitimacy  connected  with  irregular  sexual  intercourse. 

Pamphlets  for  boys  and  girls  may  be  obtained  from  the  most 
progressive  boards  of  health;  safe  books  for  them  may  be  obtained 
at  the  best  libraries. 

As  your  boy  associates  more  and  more  with  his  companions  and 
men  outside  the  home,  he  has  a  right  to  some  definite  knowledge 
of  venereal  diseases.  When  the  girl  enters  industrial  or  business  life 
or  is  subjected  to  the  dangers  of  questionable  companions,  she 
should  also  be  told  of  the  seriousness  of  these  diseases.  Here  more 
than  anywhere  else  you  must  regulate  the  amount  and  kind  of 
information  to  suit  the  individual  boy  and  girl.  It  is  necessary  that 
you  have  accurate  knowledge  of  the  seriousness  and  prevalence  of 
these  diseases.  The  description  of  them  as  one  of  many  contagious 
germ  diseases  is  a  convincing  way  of  handling  the  matter  with 
normal  boys  and  girls.  Girls  should  be  guarded  against  the  exag¬ 
gerations  wrhich  would  lead  them  to  believe  that  all  men  have 
exposed  themselves  to  these  dangerous  diseases. 

INDIRECT  TRAINING 

During  middle  adolescence  (from  sixteen  to  nineteen  years  of 
age)  guidance  becomes  indirect.  Direct  instruction  should  not  be 
repeatedly  given;  keep  the  youth’s  mind  off  the  sex  question.  For 
your  boy  at  this  critical  time  the  love  of  games  and  physical  activi¬ 
ties  is  able  to  produce  interests  and  enthusiasms  which  diminish  the 
temptations  to  wrongful  sex  activity.  You  should  overlook  no 
opportunity  to  encourage  such  natural  athletic  interests.  You 
should  encourage  the  eating  of  wholesome  food  and  keeping  the 
bowels  in  good  working  order.  You  should  see  to  it  that  your  boy 
has  an  abundance  of  exercise  and  fresh  air,  and  from  eight  and  one- 
half  to  ten  hours’  sleep,  depending  on  his  age.  You  must  insist  upon 
habits  of  frequent  bathing  and  general  cleanliness.  Although  girls 
are  not  so  universally  enthusiastic  for  physical  perfection  at  this 
period,  you  should  encourage  as  much  as  possible  their  physical 
development  and  participation  in  outdoor  sports. 

Your  boy  should  also  be  encouraged  in  the  development  of 
interests  in  life — in  the  making  of  things,  in  the  multitude  of 
projects  which  keep  him  busy.  With  both  boys  and  girls  this  is 
the  time  of  opportunity  to  develop  through  literature  high  ideals  of 


14 


romantic  love  and  earnest  enthusiasms  for  unselfish  endeavor.  It 
is  a  time  when  the  youth  is  interested  in  his  future  career,  in  reform¬ 
ing  projects,  in  high  adventure,  and  a  time  when  he  forms  deep 
friendships.  Participation  in  unselfish  activities  is  a  great  safety- 
valve  at  this  period. 

In  normal  boy-and-girl  life  the  developing  sex  life  appears  in  an 
attraction  for  friends  of  the  opposite  sex.  The  manifestation  known 
as  upuPPy  love”  must  be  guided  and  directed,  but  it  can  never  be 
successfully  repressed.  Boys  and  girls  should  be  encouraged  to 
mingle  socially  at  frequent  intervals  at  times  and  places  at  which 
adults  can  be  present.  The  practice  of  familiarities  between  the 
sexes,  known  commonly  as  spooning,  presents  a  problem  for  you. 
It  is  positively  useless  merely  to  say  “Don’t  do  it.”  The  real  harm 
and  unfairness  of  such  things  should  be  pointed  out  clearly, 

WHERE  TO  GET  INFORMATION 

State  Boards  of  Health  and  the  United  States  Public  Health 
Service  have  prepared  pamphlets  which  present  the  facts  of  sex  and 
describe  accurately  the  venereal  diseases  and  their  effects,  explaining 
the  Government’s  campaign  against  these  diseases.  These  pam¬ 
phlets,  together  with  lists  of  books  endorsed  by  experts,  are  available 
upon  application  to  either  of  the  above  agencies.  If  you  are  a 
member  of  a  parents’  organization,  you  can  obtain  pamphlets  in 
quantity  to  pass  on  to  other  members.  Although  Public  Health 
officers,  policemen,  and  teachers  have  their  important  work  to  do 
in  this  campaign,  there  is  no  work  more  fundamental  or  more 
important  that  the  parent’s  part  in  guiding  and  instructing  his  or 
her  own  children. 


Write  for  the  following  pamphlets  according  to  your  need: 

Set  A. 

For  young  men. 

Set  B. 

For  the  general  public. 

Set  C. 

For  boys. 

Set  D. 

For  parents  of  children. 

Set  E. 

For  girls  and  young  women. 

Set  F. 

For  educators. 

NEW  JERSEY 

STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH 

Bureau  of  Venereal  Disease  Control 

Trenton,  New  Jersey 

S.  B.  of  H. 


V.  D.  Pamphlet  No.  32 


D 


